Americas

The countries of the Western Hemisphere have been closely connected economically, politically, and socially for most of their modern existence. Growing trade links, increased migrant and refugee flows, internal challenges of corruption and crime, and spillover from failed states are making these connections more important and require closer cooperation between governments and societies to maintain stability, address common challenges, and maximize prosperity across all of the Americas

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Regions in focus

Since the turn of the century, reforms in Brazil have lifted nearly thirty million citizens out of poverty and targeted social inequality. A champion of regional growth and an influential actor in world politics, Brazil’s future is tied to continued efforts to revitalize its economy and its role on the global stage.

Colombia and the United States have consolidated a close and mutually-beneficial partnership over the past twenty years. Plan Colombia, a bipartisan foreign policy success, laid the foundation for a strategic alliance that has widened to include sustainable development, trade, hemispheric security, and human rights. Today, Colombia is positioning itself as a leader in the region and the world.

Since Fidel Castro rose to power six decades ago, US-Cuba relations have been characterized by persistent distrust. A brief period of reprieve, which saw restrictions levied against Cuba relaxed, dissipated as criticism of Cuba’s human rights record and its ties to Nicaragua and Venezuela reemerged. The island nation situated ninety miles south of Florida is poised to remain a critical challenge for the region.

Mexico is the United States’ number one trading partner in 2019. The relationship is special. Although ties between the two countries are solid, our partnership today faces important challenges, including rapidly changing political landscapes, shifting economic winds, shared security threats, and a migration crisis extending from Central America.

An unprecedented wave of irregular migration in Central America has brought renewed US and international attention on the Northern Triangle countries – Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. Rampant corruption, violence, and lack of economic opportunities have forced thousands to flee in search of a better future. As a new political landscape emerges in the region, the challenge remains: improving the living conditions for citizens. US support is critical to address that challenge.

Once a thriving democracy, Venezuela today is in one of its darkest times in history. Years of economic mismanagement, cronyism, and democratic erosion, further fueled by hyperinflation, power cuts, and shortages of food and medicine, have triggered a humanitarian and migration crisis with reverberations across Latin America and beyond. A peaceful democratic transition will remain as the top priority – and the first step – toward a more prosperous future for Venezuelans and the hemisphere.

COVID-19 in Latin America

Upcoming event

While the A(H1N1) and novel coronavirus (COVID-19) crises are different in magnitude and were caused by viruses with different levels of lethality, Mexico’s experience with the A(H1N1) can offer valuable lessons for current disruptions.

As governments in North America, Europe, Asia, and around the world continue to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), Latin American leaders are stepping up their efforts as cases are beginning to be documented in their countries. Although the number of cases across the region remains mostly lower than the epicenters in Europe and the United States, “we are not letting our guard down,” El Salvador’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexandra Hill Tinoco said on March 23. “No one can guarantee us that it is not going to hit us,” she explained, so every Latin American government is taking the threat seriously.

Panama’s economy—currently precarious and stagnant—depends on infrastructure megaprojects, international trade, and financial services, making it especially vulnerable to external changes like coronavirus.

As the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak continues to accelerate its spread worldwide, the international community is facing a global crisis with public health, geopolitical, and economic repercussions. Go beyond the headlines to access the Atlantic Council’s deep expertise in policy areas impacted by this growing global emergency.

Highlight: Energy in the Americas

The Western Hemisphere is full of potential and we have the opportunity to galvanize it into an energy powerhouse. This new US energy strategy for the Western Hemisphere will help raise the global competitiveness of the hemisphere, advance its shared prosperity, and improve national and energy security as a result.

Content

The president’s ongoing failure of leadership at home in the wake of Floyd’s death may at first glance appear to have little to do with another development in recent days: his casual but telling expressed interest in inviting Russia’s despotic president, Vladimir Putin, to the Group of Seven (G-7) summit later this year. But they share an origin: Trump’s failure to understand America’s character as a nation forged in common values rather than common blood, and therefore his corresponding failure to appreciate the American worldview derived from that unusual identity.

The recently released report, Restoring America’s Competitive Nuclear Energy Advantage, commissioned by the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Nuclear Fuel Working Group, is an important step forward for US national security, the battle against climate change, and the health of the US economy. After decades of misguided policy, this report puts the United States back on track in leading a worldwide nuclear energy system that is effective, reliable, and carbon free.

US President Donald Trump wants to invite Vladimir Putin to the next G7 summit, despite the Russian leader's refusal to end the aggression against Ukraine that led to his initial suspension from G8 in 2014.

For the Atlantic Council, how we respond as a community goes to the heart of our mission of “shaping the global future together.” We can bring the free world together most effectively if we act to become more exemplary in our own behavior. These terrible days have lessons both for the United States, the country in which most of us live, and for the Atlantic Council and its like-minded global community.

The COVID-19 pandemic is having dramatic effects on everyday life, but its geopolitical implications could prove to be even more profound. The pandemic is exacerbating and unleashing pressure points in the global order, including intensified US-China competition, that could fundamentally reshape geopolitics.

The COVID-19 pandemic has stressed pressure points in the global order and threatens to unravel the rules-based international system. This paper examines the geopolitical implications of the pandemic by identifying key strategic shocks and tensions exacerbated by the virus. It also identifies uncertainties for the global order and provides policy recommendations for how the United States and its allies should address the pandemic.

Ukraine's Deputy PM for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories Oleksii Reznikov says trust must be rebuilt before there can be peace with Russia. Returning to the framework of the Budapest Memorandum would be a step in the right direction, he argues.

Events

#ACFRONTPAGE EVENT – As COVID-19 accelerates existing global trends and tensions, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg discusses how the Alliance is embracing this new normal and preparing for the next decade and beyond.

9:00amONLINE EVENT

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